Dawn
by Dawnpath
Summary: A story that takes place in the LoTR universe. The king (I have yet to decide on a name for him...) stumbles upon a girl in the forest. Not any ordinary girl, though. I know this isn't super long or good yet, but I'm hoping on finishing it by... June? I know this seems ridiculous, but considering the fact I just started high school, I don't have a lot of time. Thanks for reading!


He stopped suddenly when he heard a rustle from a bush a few meters in front of him. Obviously, something was there, and it chose to be hidden. A wild beast, patiently waiting for a meal to pass by? Assassins, lying in wait to ambush an unlucky traveller? Whatever it was, since it resided in these parts of the woods, it was mostly likely nothing he wished to cross paths with. However, when he noticed a very faint blue light coming from the bush, which quickly faded away, he was intrigued. Whatever the thing was, it had succeeded in drawing his attention. Slyly creeping up to the bush, he readied himself. And suddenly he reached out and grabbed the creature in the bush, pulling it out and holding it down. It gave a surprised and terrified cry. Looking down to see what he had caught, he was as surprised as his catch was. His "beast" was a girl, but no ordinary one;

She was a peculiar creature. Human-like, with long, flowing brown hair and a lithe build, but also very distinctly non-human; she featured large, catlike ears, a long tail, the same color as her skin, that ended in a tuft of brown fur (it quite resembled that of a lion's), and her bright, turquoise-blue eyes glowed in the setting sun. She wore a simple cloak that blended in with the overgrowth, cotton leggings of the same leafy green, and tall, worn brown boots. On her back was a small leather pack. Her outfit was humble, except for one item of probable great value: on her cloak was a small, leaf-shaped clasp that shimmered as if it could not decide whether it wished to be golden or silver.

She attempted to leap away from him, but he held on firmly to her arm. He pulled her up, not too roughly, but roughly enough that she would do as he silently commanded, and he stood there, gazing at her in wonder. He had never seen such a being before in his life, save in the child's stories he had been read long ago. However, she was not nearly as friendly as those made-up creatures from the tales; she stood there, glaring at him, ready to dash away at a moment's notice. Suddenly, her eyes began to glow bright and she flashed a brilliant blue, escaping from his grasp. He fell back, and the girl began to sprint away, like prey escaping from a baffled predator. "Wait!" he called, standing up hurriedly, "I just wish to speak with you!" His words seemed to have some effect, as she stopped and turned, staying at a cautious distance.

The mysterious girl spoke with a voice gruff yet smooth, blending into a strong voice that shook him to his roots. "What do you wish of me? You do not seem friendly, and I wish no further conversation with you! Speak hurriedly, as I have places to be!"

He stood there in shock for a few moments before regaining his ability to speak. She seemed quite intelligent, so trying to fool her would not do him any good; in fact, it would most likely do him the exact opposite. He decided to talk to her as if he was talking to his lady back at home, in hopes of showing her that he meant no harm. Bending over in a deep bow, he spoke courteously: "O fair and mysterious lady! I beseech your pardon for my earlier actions, for I was foolish in my wonder. Might you be willing to grant me your voice in conversation?" The girl seemed surprised at his choice of actions. As her eyes began to decrease in brilliance, he realized that during the time that had elapsed during their short exchange of words, her eyes had continued to glow as brightly as they had when she escaped from him.

She spoke again, in a quieter, almost sweet voice that commanded less authority, yet was still strong, as if she felt she had something to prove. "If these are indeed your intentions, then I will agree to stay for a while. However, any aggressive move on your part will force me to leave your presence at once." Gracefully striding forward, she moved towards him until she was stood about 5 sword-lengths away. She seemed smaller now, dwarfed in her loss of confidence; from far away, she seemed strong in body and mind, and although this power could still be very existent, upon close inspection he realized the girl could be no older than fifteen winters old, if that. She walked over to the trunk of one of the nearby oaks and swiftly ascended it, climbing until she reached the bottom-most branch. Sitting down at the base of it, she dangled one leg over its edge and reclined against the trunk of the tree. Seemingly comfortable, she glanced at him, waiting for him to speak.

He sighed, dropping down to rest at the bottom of the birch opposite of the girl's oak. He chose his words carefully, being cautious to display none of the aggressive behavior she had warned him about. He was interested in this girl, and he wanted to learn more of her and her people. "Might I ask you of your reasons of being here? I must inform you that this forest is private property of the king himself." he said, gesturing around him.

The girl flinched at his words, immediately becoming distressed. "The king!?" she gasped, sliding down from her perch, "I-I am gravely mistaken! I had no idea his highness was in ownership of this land!" Tightening the pack on her back, she paused to throw a questioning look and a few words over shoulder. "Then why might you be roaming these woods?"

Proudly, he replied, "For I am the one that owns this land." The girl's eyes widened further, and she backed away. "Miss," he said, spreading his arms wide in a gesture of friendship, "Why do my words frighten you so? I am no violent tyrant!" The girl did not seem convinced; she continued to back up slowly, her ears flattened down in fear. He was getting slightly frustrated. "Miss, I ask you again: why do my words frighten you?"

The girl stopped, many sword-lengths away, and stared at him in disbelief. "You do not know why I am afraid of you, your majesty? I am no alpha! Can you not see?"

He was baffled. What did the girl mean by 'alpha'? "I don't believe I understand what you mean by 'alpha'," he replied, "Would you be kind enough to explain?"

"You mean that there are no alphas of your race?" the girl asked, obviously shocked. "No one is evolved?"

So the girl's race had some who were of higher rank than others because of some sort of evolution? "If I do understand what you mean, then no, my race has no 'evolved' peoples." he answered, "Would you care to explain why these evolved of yours are such a thing to run from?" The girl sighed, then sat where she was.

"Your people are very interesting." she began, then looking downwards, she continued, "My people either are evolved, the alphas, and will live a life of ease, or they simply are not, in which case they are considered the lowest of society and will serve under the alphas until they die. The alphas look very similar to those who are not; the only difference is that their eyes are orange instead of the more common blue, and they have the ability to shape-shift." The girl paused, apparently thinking. He was shocked. Not only do her people have such social differences because of such a small difference, but her people are often born with the power to change shapes? he thought, What an odd folk. The girl continued her story. "Those non-alphas would perform all sorts of labor; anything from work in the fields to cleaning. Some where personal servants or disposable troops. And as you can tell, I was no alpha." Apparently finished, she looked away and watched a tiny wigworm going about its business of aimlessly inching its way across the forest floor. Although the girl seemed calm, the glisten of a falling tear exposed her true feelings on the matter. A surge of pity washed over him, and he sighed.

"Miss, the sun is beginning to hide her face, and the moon will be hidden by clouds. Might you find accommodation in the palace until sunrise, if you have no other place to go?" He inquired, looking up at the darkening sky. It would only be an hour or two more before it was pitch black under the leaves and the dark things of the forest would come out to hunt. Even for one of considerable strength or power, these woods were dangerous at night.

The girl hesitated, apparently inclined to accept, but still she declined. "As I said earlier," she replied awkwardly, "I have places to be." She stood up, looking away again. It was obvious that she had no such place to be. The girl seemed to be able to tell that he had seen through her prideful lie by the skeptical look he gave her, and ducked her head. "But perhaps it is too late for me to reach my destination before darkness falls." she added quietly, swishing her tail nervously. The dry, dead leaves crinkled softly as the tuft of her tail brushed by them.

He smiled broadly. Maybe after some rest she would consider telling more of her story and her people. Gesturing over his shoulder, he suggested that they get moving. "It's a ways until we will reach the safer parts of the forest. We've best be on our way." The girl cautiously walked up to him, ducking her head nervously and shyly glancing at him. In the growing darkness, her glowing eyes were even more prominent. Hopefully, he held out his hand to her, but she politely and silently refused it. Moving his hand back to his side, he sighed quietly. In time, he hoped, she might learn to trust him. If she even stays long enough for me to earn that trust, he told himself. He could tell the girl did not trust him in the slightest, and her attitude suggested to him that she might even attempt escape under the cover of the night. Looking back to the girl, he once again wondered what secrets she held. He wished not to exploit them, but instead to understand. And once again, he sighed inwardly, berating himself for such thought. The walk was spent in silence. Sometimes he would glance at the girl, and from the corner of his eye, he would notice her brilliant turquoise eyes shyly peeking up at him from under her dark hood. Although he was probably just imagining it, it seemed to him that the cloak had darkened in color as the rest of the world did so. And thrice he sighed, giving up on trying to understand the girl's mysteries for the night.

Within a fairly short amount of time, they had reached the front gates of the city. The guards, clad in their shining armor, straightened at the sight of him. Grinning, he called to them. "At ease!" He noticed the girl once again staring at him. Her expression was unreadable. As the great iron gates slowly opened and the unusual duo entered the city, he smiled at the sight of the flickering lights of candles coming from the surrounding houses. Before he knew it, the palace was looming before him, its burgundy flags flapping on their high perches upon the peaks of the towing spires of the castle.

Within short order, he had the girl set up in one of the guest rooms of the castle. Although he sent a few maids to help her get comfortable in her temporary residence, they returned much sooner than expected, saying that she had refused them. Heading for the room, he quickly ascended one of the spiraling stairways that resided within the castle walls. Quietly sneaking to the door, he silently opened it a crack and peeked inside. When he heard no reaction from inside, he opened the door fully and stepped through the doorway. The room was untouched save a single lit candle on the dresser, which was lighting the room dimly; not a single drawer was opened, the bed's covers, unruffled, and the nightgown that had been prepared for the girl was still resting where it had been left. However, this was not the thing that surprised him most. Across the room, the girl was resting on the sill of the window, hugging her pack to her chest. The window was propped open partway, letting a cool, sweet-smelling breeze into the room. She had removed neither her cloak nor her boots. However, in her sleep she looked so much more peaceful than she did normally. She must have been exhausted after walking all day, he thought, smiling, I barely get out of the castle most days, and the furthest I normally stray is the castle walls... I could use a long walk once in a while. Quietly, as to not wake the girl, he walked to the bed and grabbed one of the thin, woolen blankets and moved over to the girl. Gently laying it over her, he was reminded of- No, he told himself, that is a thing of the past. Sighing, he pushed the memory from his mind and silently left the room.

He rose with the sun in the morning. For once, he decided, he would have some time for himself. Some time alone. Quickly donning some clothes, he left the castle and headed for the one place he knew no one would be, at least at this time of the morning; the graveyard. A few minutes later, he had reached the graveyard's entrance; an old cobblestone path led to a break in the mossy stone wall surrounding the yard where a gate should have been. The iron gate had rusted and fallen off its hinges long ago. Soon thereafter, it disappeared, supposedly taken by some poor passerby who had hoped to use what was left of it as scrapmetal. No one had ever bothered to replace it. Without thinking, he weaved through the gravestones and found himself in front of one in particular. It was more decorated than the rest, being made of fine white marble, and had elaborate etchings and gold inlays. Embossed sparrows flitted across the top of their milky sky, and vines bearing shining fruits snaked along the edges of their white domain. The masterpiece was sheltered by a colorfully painted wooden roof, which was held up by equally colorful posts. He laid a hand on the top of the beautiful stone and knelt down beside it. Closing his eyes, he began to mutter a prayer when he was startled by a snapping sound from behind him. Quickly standing back up and whipping around, he faced the girl, looking very sheepish. She had paused in the awkward position she was in when she had stepped on the small branch, which had been hiding camouflaged in the dry autumn grass. A wisp of rouge hair had blown up in the gentle wind, making her look quite childlike. Her bright eyes were wide, and a flash of fear glinted in them. "Were... were you following me?" he asked, not sure what else to say. However, he straightened up to his full height, in hopes of looking at least slightly imposing. In response, the girl shrunk back and began to shake slightly. Realizing he as probably terrifying her, he loosened up. "I asked a question, and I do expect an answer."


End file.
